The last years of King Herod the Great's reign are turbulent, the public splendour of his many architectural projects belying the rotten core of his private life. His extended family is riven with jealousy, suspicion and hatred. Into this dangerous environment Simon, the only son of one of King Herod's favoured bodyguards, who cherishes an ambition to become an architect instead of following in his father's footsteps, is inexorably drawn.

Scholars and others may disagree about whether the Massacre of the Innocents actually happened, but it is nevertheless a story that has resounded down the ages and been depicted in countless artistic media.

The flight of Mary and Joseph and their baby son into Egypt to escape the slaughter is also a familiar part of the Christmas story. But who warned them, and why? What risks were taken, and what sacrifices made by those who did?

Every story has many and often apparently remote beginnings. Perhaps This Dark Heart can suggest one such.